Shameless Endorsement

  Greetings and Salutations... This week I want to offer a shameless endorsement for a small but important effort in the fight for full employment in northern Illinois.  There are two friendly and extremely hard working professionals that staff the Harper College WorkNet Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois. 

 They offer a series of workshops for job seekers that are free and focus on skills that can and do help folks achieve their goal of landing a job. Here is the link  http://bit.ly/f3dlDb to the courses that are offered. For example, here is a sample of what  courses and workshops they offer:

• Workshop - JIST Cards for Networking
• Workshop - First Steps with LinkedIN; Advanced LinkedIN
• Workshop - Goal Setting for Job Seekers
• Training - Career Confidence Gets The Job
• Training - Improving Interview to Interview

 Just click on the link above and register for the class you’re interested in... There is even an information session on Truck Driving. Also, I conduct a four week program which is a Group Outplacement Training. This is for people who didn’t receive professional outplacement when they were laid off, I cover the basics a job seeker needs for a successful job search. 

 The Harper College WorkNet  Center is a little office inside the IDES office in Arlington Heights. It’s a drop-in center where folks are welcome to stop in and ask questions about different programs that are available to everyone at William Rainey Harper College, (In Palatine, Illinois.) Diane and Chris are the two ladies who staff the drop-in center and Diane teaches some of the workshops. I especially recommend her JIST Cards program as a unique tool for job seekers.

Main Campus

 Lastly, here’s the shameless part, I conduct the Goal Setting for Job Seekers workshop every month. It really pushes the importance of focusing on the goal of getting the job offer and how to support the goal and strengthen your resolve in landing the job as quickly as possible. 

 To learn more about all the programs at the Arlington Heights WorkNet center click on: http://ah.worknetncc.com/  The address is:

Harper College Worknet Center

723 W. Algonquin Road

Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Myths, Conventional Wisdom and Other Rationalizations

   In "5 Career Myths Busted" Maria Hanson of LiveCareer discusses five different myths that conventional wisdom teaches, which are absolutely false... unless you make them true by believing them. Human beings create self-fulfilling prophecies by accepting something erroneous because it speaks to our deepest fears. Here are the myths that Maria Hanson addresses:

• Myth #1: I can't get a job without experience.
• Myth #2: All that most workers care about is their salary.
• Myth #3: It's too late to change careers.
• Myth #4: Multitasking is the most efficient way to work.
• Myth #5: Without close supervision, most workers will get away with whatever they can.

   I want to comment about myths one and three. If you find yourself in transition or even just starting out from college Myth #1 is a statement that everyone feels must be true. Someone experiencing difficulty finding a job will state this myth and then say, "It's a real Catch-22" referring to the Joseph Heller novel. If you hear someone say this to you, feel free to hold them accountable by asking the question, "If that is true why isn't there 100% unemployment?" The trouble is if someone is holding on to this myth as a rationalization for not landing a job, what real reason are they missing?  Something that is in their power to change is going unnoticed.

   Myth #3 is a similar kind of rationalization that people use to stay stuck. I'm too old, or it's too late. I've changed careers three times in my life, maybe four depending how you count the career I am in now. Again if this myth is true no mother who raised her children could ever work again outside the home. It may take some additional formal education or training program, but people do it every day. Actually for my clients that are burned out from their most recent job, the prospect of changing careers is an exciting opportunity.

   Here is where attitude comes into the equation. Having a positive, enthusiastic attitude with a certain amount of patience will make all the difference. We all have "transferable skills." These are the skills that are required to be successful in various different careers. Project management is one of these skills sets. I cannot think of an occupation that does not require some level of project management. What is incumbent on the career changer is communicating how the transferable skill is the hard part and the specifics of the new field can be learned quickly.

   Not everyone will buy that argument. People want to believe that their field or industry is unique and I don't blame them: we all want to feel special. The health industry says no to many applicants because, "You don't have any health care industry experience." Yet, with a little learning and taking the time and effort to establish a relationship with people in the field you can move into a new industry. Building and growing relationships are really important. Reaching out to folks asking to meet for an "informational" or courtesy interview is key.

   As people with hiring authority get to know you and what you bring to the table you'll make the connections that will land you a job. This is true for your first job or if you are changing careers.